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Thursday, February 18, 2016

"Three 'Original' Brewers Remain", 1915

The Milwaukee Sentinel ran this photo on March 26, 1915, featuring three Brewers with the longest tenure.

The "original Brewers" are presented here. Tom Dougherty, veteran pitcher; Harry Clark, third basemanm and Newt Randall, king of the right garden. These three old timers, who have seen the club rise from a second division bunch to a two time flag winner, know every blade of grass in Athletic park. Not once have they failed to deliver, and even Tom, who has been twirling a long time now, is still able to make his old soupbone shoot them over at all angles.

"Original" would imply that the three had been with the Brewers since the club's first season in 1902. But that was not the case for these three men.

Harry "Pep" Clark and Tom Dougherty had both come to the Brews in 1904. Newt Randall was a relative newcomer, purchased from the National League Boston Doves before the 1908 season. All three would become Brewer legends and fan-favorites. Clark added "manager" to his job description in 1913, and the Brews famously went on to win their first pennant that season, and a second in 1914, making him a popular fixture in Milwaukee.

These "original Brewers" would be broken up just months after this photo was published. Randall and Dougherty were sold, along with Joe Burg and "Jap" Barbeau, to the Pacific Coast League's Oakland Oaks in November of 1915. The four veterans were moved as part of a massive rebuilding by owner Al Timme, who warned that nobody on the roster was safe.

Dougherty never made an appearance for Oakland, but Randall had a cup of coffee with them. He saw action in five games, managing just one hit in eleven at-bats. For both men, leaving the Brewers also meant the end of their playing careers. Pep Clark hung on to his managerial job for one more season before he too was replaced, although he did come back for a second turn with the Brews as player/manager in 1922 and 1923.

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Chance Michaels is a native New Yorker who spent many of his formative years in Milwaukee and developed a lifelong interest in the region's sporting history. In addition to his work with BorchertField.com, he runs the Green Bay Packers Uniform Database, an ongoing research project devoted to the design history of that other Wisconsin pro team. When not immersing himself in old game programs, wire service photos and newspaper archives, he produces theatre Off-Off-Broadway, and was formerly a contributor to The Onion. He lives in New York City with his family.

Paul Tenpenny was born, raised in and is proud to be a citizen of Milwaukee, Wisconsin. Paul lives within walking distance of Miller Park and its predecessor, Milwaukee County Stadium. A lifelong collector of various antiques and collectibles, he specializes in Milwaukee and Wisconsin related Sports and Historic Memorabilia. Paul has been writing articles on Milwaukee Sports collectibles since 2007 and is in his 3rd year of writing his popular Vintage Brew series. An active member of SABR and its local Ken Keltner chapter, his memorabilia has been displayed at both the Milwaukee Historical Society, the Milwaukee Public Library and the Wisconsin State Historical Museum.

Dennis Pajot is a life long resident of Milwaukee, who enjoys as a hobby researching Milwaukee baseball. He is an active member of SABR, both the local Ken Keltner chapter and the national group. His Milwaukee baseball publications include "The Rise of Milwaukee Baseball: The Cream City From Midwestern Outpost to the Major Leagues, 1859-1901" (McFarland & Company, 2009) (Winner - 2010 Sporting News-SABR Baseball Research Award) and "The Greatest Baseball Game Ever Played Anywhere" (Wisconsin Magazine of History, Spring 2009) detailing an 1899 baseball game in Milwaukee between City of Milwaukee officials and State of Wisconsin officials to help the sufferers of a tornado in New Richmond, Wisconsin.

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